‘The students who take part in the dig never forget the area after that. The same goes for the students in all the other fields who take our classes in Greece,’ says Professor Michael Cosmopoulos, who headed the interdisciplinary excavation at Iklaina in Messinia in the southwestern Peloponnese.
Professor Michael Cosmopoulos at the University of Missouri-St Louis discusses his efforts to keep Greek studies alive in a diverse and multicultural environment. Celebrating 30 years of the Greek studies program, Cosmopoulos highlights the importance of preserving Hellenistic culture in the United States.
Expanding the program to include various aspects of Greek civilization, from language and history to mythology and archaeology, has attracted over 5,000 students. Additionally, he established the Nicholas and Theodora Matsakis Hellenic Culture Center to promote Greek culture through lectures, seminars, and art collections.
Through his dedication, Cosmopoulos has fostered new generations of philhellenes, with programs in Canada and Greece. The anniversary event showcased the program’s achievements and the preservation of Greek diaspora history, reflecting a deep commitment to Greek heritage and education.